Now You See Me 2 (2016)

I can sum up Now You See Me 2 with one word – disappointment. Disappointment that I didn’t like the movie, and that it’s such an unsuccessful attempt to recreate the appeal of the first movie. Most importantly, it’s that disappointment towards the writers, who clearly think I’m stupid.

Alright, let’s get the bad things out before they rub me sore. The end-game, the final act, the big reveal – what a load of crap! Clearly, the people behind the movie didn’t think very highly of the audience, if they thought that big magic trick in the end would make us oooh and aaah. It didn’t. We all saw it coming a mile away. And you know what, that’s alright, it happens, so what if the trick was a little predictable, I would accept it, if it weren’t for the explanations! Because, for me, there’s only one thing more disappointing than a predictable magic trick, and that’s the play by play description of it.

And that’s how Now You See Me 2 felt like, an explanation for all things predictable. The fun of the first movie was gone, the elements of unbelievable magic tricks was overshadowed by the descriptions of predictable tricks, which was completely unnecessary. If you’re going to do things that make sense, don’t take time to explain them, because the not knowing how is part of the magic! But Now You See Me 2 killed that magic, despite the promise and the possibilities that were there, considering the surprising appeal of the first movie and the possible enthusiasm of the cast.

Apparently only Isla Fisher knew that a sequel couldn’t work, because she was the only one who didn’t come back for round two. So for me it was exciting to see Mark Ruffalo and Dave Franco again, because they are both precious! And even though the plot was lame, and I wasn’t impressed by the endgame, Ruffalo was nice and Franco as well, so at least I have that to remember on a more positive note. But the positive doesn’t really end there because well, there is some fun in the movie. It’s hidden, but it’s there, and if you just stop thinking, and just watch, then you might even get some laughs out of it. But it’s just hard not to think, especially as weeks have  gone by and I have had time to think about it, and to think about its lack of memorability. I would say this, after walking out of the cinema, I had much better feelings about it, than I have right now. It was mindless fun, and I guess it worked, in that situation, because sometimes I love mindless stuff. And during the screening, I was enjoying the parts that were meant to be enjoyed. But thinking back, there was just so many things wrong. For instance, the need to drag out great scenes for no apparent reason, Asian characters, who start speaking English when it’s necessary, falling into the ground and disappearing, and what was Morgan Freeman doing there anyway?

Not to mention the fact that for the second time, when we get a female lead, she is somehow romantically involved with the male lead. Now, I had nothing against it in the first movie, because it was referenced to, and not thrown into our faces, but as Lizzy Caplan appears, I had so much hope for her character, that I was bummed out to see her eagerly go after Franco’s character. It’s just.. why? Why does a woman always have to have a romantic story line, stop it, I just wanted a strong minded, funny, independent, badass, magic skilled, cool woman, that I think Lizzy Caplan is.

Anyway, enough of this negativity, I’m just going to end this review here, otherwise I will get too wrapped up in all those stupid things that Now You See Me 2 managed to put on the table. And if I ever need some magic in my life, I will return to Now You See Me because that will remain my favorite, and I’ll forget that Now You See Me 2 ever happened.